章節 61: Hiding Feelings in Russian, AKA the Verbal Exhibitions
"Oh. No go, huh?"
"Yeah… I don't blame them, though."
Masachika was talking on the phone with Takeshi in his room the day after Alisa agreed
to do vocals for the band, and they were currently talking about the band's bassist, Ryuuichi,
and keyboardist, Riho.
"Anyway, both said they wanted to take a break from the band for a while… I don't
know how long 'a while' is, but I really doubt we're gonna be ready for the school festival."
Takeshi's uncharacteristically jaded voice made it transparent that he was exhausted
from dealing with them.
"I feel for you. I guess it'd be hard to perform with all the jealousy and bitter feelings
going around anyway."
"Yeah, you're probably right… Anyway, I still can't believe that Riho had feelings for
Hikaru, too…"
"…Hmm?" A puzzled expression crossed Masachika's face. "…Did she say that?"
"What? Remember what she said before she stormed out of the room? She was like,
'But…I like—' She had to have been talking about Hikaru, right? That's part of why he was
so depressed."
"…Oh."
That was what itsounded like she wastrying to say, given the context, butsomething still
felt off about it to Masachika… In fact, something had felt off even before all that. Although
he wasn't close with those three, they were friends of his friends, so he had hung out with
them more than a few times and knew them relatively well, and that was why Takeshi's
account of what happened seemed strange to Masachika. Takeshi and Hikaru were perhaps
far too shaken up over what happened to have noticed, because if anything, this probably
went even beyond a simple feeling that something was wrong.
"Sigh… Anyway, what are we gonna do without a bassist and keyboardist now? We
finally get Princess Alya's support, and now this…," mumbled Takeshi despondently,
breaking Masachika's train of thought while simultaneously making him realize that Takeshi
didn't have the luxury of quitting. But even after coming to this realization, he had to ask:
"Are you still planning on performing at the school festival? Even though you lost over
half your band?"
"Hmm? Yeah… I promised Kanau I would. Besides…"
"Besides?"
"If we cancel, then Hikaru's never going to be able to put all this behind him," suggested
Takeshi, conveying nothing but love and consideration for his friend. "Plus, there's no way
I'm going to let the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform with Princess Alya slip by!"
he added as if to conceal how much he cared about his friend.
"…Ha-ha. Yeah, good point."
But it was obvious that Alisa wasn't really the reason why he felt compelled to make
this work. Because in the end, he was the kind of person who prioritized his friends over his
lust for women. That was just who Takeshi Maruyama was.
"All right, let me take care of your bass and keyboard problem."
"Wait. Do you really know someone who can play? Someone who plays keyboard,
maybe. But someone who can play the bass? I doubt there are many people outside our club
who can play…"
"Yeah, I might know some people. And if that doesn't work, I'll play."
"For real? Can you even play bass?"
"I've never tried, but I can play violin, and stringed instruments can't be all that different
from one another, right?"
"They're completely different! And since when can ya play violin?!"
"Oh, I didn't tell you? I'm not brag-worthy good or anything, but I can still play
something like Czardas at double speed."
"What kind of devil did you sell your soul to?!"
They chatted over the phone for a while after that, until Takeshi had finally returned
to his usual self. Right after hanging up, Masachika opened his instant messenger app and
texted the person who might be able to help them.
"…All right. I understand the situation you're in."
The next day, Masachika met with the person he'd texted at a café where they were
sitting facing each other. It was his former clubmate during his time in the student council in
middle school, Sayaka Taniyama, who had been quietly listening to Masachika explain the
situation while they waited on their order.
"So…? What do you want me to do about it?" she asked softly.
There was no indication in her distant gaze or cold voice that she was going to meet him
halfway. Sayaka was usually laid-back and levelheaded when dealing with most people, but
she was especially strict with Masachika due to their past rivalry during the election. It didn't
help thatshe was acting like an uncompromising boss who wasinterrogating hersubordinate.
The penetrating light in her eyes made it clear that she couldn't be fooled, either, and that was
why Masachika decided to be straight with her instead of bending the truth or joking about it.
"Okay, I'll get to the point. Would you play bass for Takeshi's band?"
"Why me? And bass? I—"
"You know how to play bass."
He interrupted her as he stared hard into her eyes, and she stared back into his as if she
were trying to uncover his true intentions. But when Masachika shifted his gaze to her hands
on the table, she sighed and leaned heavily back in her seat.
"Even if I could play bass, what's in it for me?" she asked in a matter-of-fact tone. A
flash of light reflected off her glasses, which hung over her faint smirk.
"Don't tell me you're asking me to help make Alisa even more popular out of the
goodness of my heart, because—"
"Sorry to keep you waiting. One Nakucia Healing Sandwich and MP Potion for the lady."
"W-wow! This looks incredible!"
"Sigh…"
Masachika seemed unenthused as he observed how easily Sayaka switched from playing
hardball to squealing over the food the waiter brought. Incidentally, this wasn't any ordinary
café. It was doing an anime collab and was designed to look like a pub in a fantasy setting
where mercenaries and adventurers would gather. The café was even serving cuisine from
anime and had several drinks based on characters from the show as well. It was extremely
elaborate.
"And one Kelger Dragon Burger and Dwarf Firewater for the gentleman."
"Thanks."
The food Masachika had ordered was placed in front of him next. Although this went
without saying, the dragon burger was not dragon meat but a mix of ground pork and beef,
and the firewater didn't have any alcohol in it. These were simply designed to look like the
cuisine in the anime.
They did a great job with the food, though… I bet Yuki would have a blast here.
Masachika had actually made reservations at this café to come with Yuki, but his sister
suddenly had urgent business to take care of, so he ended up inviting Sayaka instead.
Therefore, he took out his phone, figuring he could send her a picture of the food at the very
least. Coincidentally, Sayaka also took out her phone for a picture, so they spent the next
few minutes taking pictures in silence. Of course, they didn't forget to switch seats to take
photos of the other's food, too.
Once they had finished the photo shoot and checked out the free coasters that came with
their drinks, Sayaka's expression slowly regained its seriousness from earlier.
"So? Do you really expect me to help Alisa out of the goodness of my heart?"
"Don't force it. Do you really think I can take your tough-guy persona seriously after
all that?" replied Masachika blandly while he reached for his fork. "Anyway, there's a time
limit on how long we can stay, so let's eat first, okay?"
Although Sayaka frowned a bit,she reached for hersandwich and began to eat. Only after
they had finished their meals at the twenty-minute mark did Masachika get back on topic.
"Okay,so let'stalk about the band now because I think this can be really fun for you, too.
The band's short a few members, but everyone's still doing everything they can to perform
at the school festival. Sounds kind of like K-OFF, if you ask me."
Sayaka's eyebrow twitched at the thought. K-OFF (official title: K-Off, Winter Won't
Come to the Music Club) was an anime about a school music club on the brink of being
disbanded due to a lack of members after one of the members transferred to a new school,
and in an attempt to avoid losing their club, they made it their goal to put on an incredible
performance at the school festival. The Winter Won't Come part of the title had two meanings
to it. One referred to the sense of impending danger, since the club would be disbanded by
winter if they didn't do something. However, it was also an expression of determination that
was meant to convey that they wouldn't accept winter's coming and that they were going to
fight until the bitter end. The anime was extremely popular three years prior and probably
convinced numerous nerds to join their school music clubs.
From what Masachika could ascertain, Sayaka was most likely one of those nerds. He
had two pieces of evidence to back up this claim: Sayaka's overenthusiastic reaction to Yuki's
T-shirt when they ran into each other at the park and the faint calluses on Sayaka's fingers.
"…Well, I suppose I can see your point. Kanamin also joined the band as a replacement
after the original bassist left, after all." She slowly nodded while pushing up the bridge of
her glasses, concealing her eyes behind a reflection of light. "I suppose you really do have
a point. The lead singer, Luna, was also a silver-haired maiden, and hearing that your friend
wants to show off to his little brother does remind me of Hikari's love for her little sister,
which was her reason for performing. Plus, 'Hikari' does kind of sound like 'Hikaru' when
you think about it—"
"Well, I'm glad you see things my way."
Masachika rolled his eyes at his motormouthed schoolmate, who kept pushing up her
glasses. She rambled on about K-OFF for three minutes nonstop after that, until she finally
snapped back to reality, softly cleared her throat, and composed herself.
"At any rate…that doesn't mean I can simply help Alisa without—"
"Stop forcing it already. I can't take you seriously anymore today."
I'm honestly surprised she managed to keep up the facade thislong, he thought, inwardly
sighing as he reached below his chair.
"Anyway, I'm not asking you to do this for free."
The look in her eyes changed the instant she saw what he lifted into the air.
"What…?! I-is that…?!"
Sayaka stood up so quickly and with such force that she almost knocked her chair to the
floor, and she leaned over the table. When she realized that she was most certainly not seeing
things, she mumbled in a trembling, hoarse voice:
"Is that an original collector's card personally autographed by one of the voice actors?
Those were only given to people who wrote into the anime's official radio show and had
their letter read on air, and that looks like it's from the final episode…"
"You really know your stuff. They used a different design on the collector's cards every
time they did the event. This one in particular is a group photo of every character in the last
episode, which was specifically drawn for this card. There are only five in the world, by the
way, and I've never seen even one of them put up on any online auction."
Sayaka gulped, making Masachika grin as he placed the collector's card, which was
sealed inside an acrylic case, on the table.
"But I'd be more than willing to part ways with it if you accept my proposal."
The obvious bribe had Sayaka suddenly narrowing her usual chilling gaze. She dropped
back down in her seat and sighed cynically.
"Do you really think you can buy me? I'm insulted."
"Then let go of it and say that again."
As Masachika grabbed the collector's card on the table and jerked it away, along came
Sayaka's hand, still firmly gripping it.
The band had just gotten a new bass player.
Masachika decided to meet up with the potential keyboardist the next day.
"And…? You want me to, like, play keyboard for that band or whatever?" asked the girl
with lustrous blond hair in a ponytail who was sitting across from him.
"What's it gonna be?" asked Masachika with a smirk, staring back into Nonoa
Miyamae's heavy-lidded eyes.
"Excuse me?"
Her reaction curled his lips even more, and he nonchalantly proposed:
"If you're interested, then I can work something out with the band. I'm sure they'd be
happy to have you on keyboard."
It was a proposal, not a request. A request would mean that Nonoa would have to get
something in return, but Masachika couldn't come up with a single thing that would please
her, and there was nothing more frightening than being in debt to her, either. Therefore, he
wasn't going to ask her to do this as a favor. He was going to simply offer her the opportunity
while using Sayaka as bait. He was essentially giving Nonoa the chance to play in the same
band as her best friend.
"…Ohhh, now I get it. No wonder you chose different days to talk to Saya and me."
Once Nonoa utilized her innate perceptiveness to promptly see right through
Masachika's scheme, she lazily leaned back in her seat.
"And, like, what are you gonna do if I say no?"
"Then I'll just play keyboard in the band. You might be more appealing visually, but
it'd work out," admitted Masachika with a shrug and a composed expression.
"Uh-huh."
Nonoa shot him a suggestive look, but she soon closed her eyes as if she had lost any
interest in the conversation and waved her hand.
"Yeah, whatever. I'll do it. I'm not exactly thrilled about it, but I'll do it."
"Really? Thanks."
And just like that, the band once again had five members.
"And that's what happened. You have your five band members now."
"Hold up."
"One girl… Two girls… They're all girls…"
"Hey, do you think Shadow Hikaru could hold on for a second?"
That was how Takeshi and Hikaru first responded to Masachika's announcement during
their group phone call.
"I get ya have connections, being in the student council and all…but I can't believe you
convinced those two to help, too…"
"When I told you I might know some people, you should have at least been able to guess
that Nonoa was one of them. I mean, everybody knows she's good at piano."
Seirei Academy Middle School put on a choir competition every year, and it was
customary for the best piano player to play piano at the competition. There were countless
students from wealthy families at Seirei Academy, and a decent number of them had been
learning piano from a young age, so whoever was chosen to accompany the choir students
was undoubtedly a talented pianist. And for three years in a row, that talented musician had
been Nonoa, whose skills were considered second only to the Prince of Piano, Yuushou
Kiryuuin. Even Takeshi was well aware of this. However…
"Dude, how was I supposed to guess that you were gonna ask one of the most popular
girls in school?"
Although Nonoa was well known as a talented pianist, everyone knew she expressed
absolutely no interest in any music clubs. (In fact, she expressed no interest in any clubs at
all.) And that was why Takeshi was so shocked that Nonoa would agree to do this so easily.
"More important, is she going to be okay? Piano and keyboard look similar, but they're
actually pretty different."
"Wait. Seriously? Are they really that different? …Regardless, Nonoa said she could do
it, so I'm guessing it'll be okay."
"Very reassuring, Masachika. Thanks… Anyway, I had no idea that girl Sayaka could
even play bass. She doesn't really look like the kind of person who'd play."
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
"…? How'd ya even know she played?"
"…It's a long story," Masachika replied ambiguously before immediately changing the
subject. "Anyway, are you pleased with your new bandmates or not, Takeshi?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine with them…but I feel a little intimidated, I guess. You know, with
how amazing they all are. I'm worried they're going to overshadow me, and I'm just gonna
fade into the background…"
"You don't have to worry about that. None of them are tall enough to overshadow you."
"Come on! You know what I mean! I don't wanna feel completely dominated onstage.
Now, offstage—that's another story."
"You don't have to worry about that. You have zero chance with any of them."
"Bro?! Maybe I have no chance with Sayaka, but Nonoa might want a piece of this."
"Even if by some miracle that did happen, don't. Seriously. Anyone but Nonoa," warned
Masachika in a dead serious tone before shifting his focus toward Hikaru. "Anyway, Hikaru,
you've got nothing to worry about because there is absolutely no way any of those three
would ever fall in love with you."
"…Really?"
"Really. Even if someone does develop some kind of feelings for someone else in the
band, I will deal with it as your manager."
"…?! Manager?" squeaked Takeshi.
"…Yeah? That was my plan from the very start. I was the one who scouted the new
members, so of course I plan on making sure everything goes smoothly until the very end,"
replied Masachika, surprised by his friend's reaction.
"Oh… I guess that makes sense."
"Besides, you guys are going to have trouble even talking to your new bandmates without
me there to help you."
"Yeah, I guess you do know them better…"
After persuading Takeshi, Masachika focused on Hikaru once more.
"Anyway, that's the deal, so I need you to trust me. Let's do this."
"…"
A few long moments of silence went by until Hikaru let out a sigh.
"…Fine. These are people you carefully selected yourself, and it wouldn't be right for
me to be selfish. Besides, it's my fault the original three members left the band…"
"Don't even think about that."
"Yeah, it's not your fault, Hikaru. You don't need to feel bad about anything."
"…Thanks, guys."
Hikaru chuckled softly at their prompt support and gave his approval for the band.
However, it would be two days later before all five members of the band got together in
Music Room A to meet.
"""...…"""
And unfortunately, it was extremely awkward. Or maybe it was simply awkward for
the boys… Nonoa, who arrived early, had been on her phone the entire time, Sayaka had
been adjusting and tuning her bass in silence, and Takeshi was glowing angelically with joy
before the sparkling, glamorous girls. Hikaru was already in a somewhat gloomy mood, and
Alisa was simply a poor communicator who kept to herself. Nobody said a word. Two entire
minutes had gone by, and nobody was even trying to get to know the others, despite that
being the point of gathering that day.
Sigh… This is even worse than I thought. Looks like I'm going to have to take over.
But right as Masachika was about to suggest that everyone introduce themselves, Sayaka,
who had been quietly messing with her bass the entire time, suddenly spoke up.
"Okay. It appears everyone is here, so how about we get started? We don't have much
time, after all."
"A'ight."
"Huh? Oh, uh…"
Nonoa promptly began to set up her keyboard, and Takeshi and Hikaru started to prepare
in a fluster as well.
"Hold up, Sayaka. Shouldn't you guys at least introduce yourselves before you start?"
Masachika chimed in before they started their session, since they still hadn't even conversed
yet.
"It isn't as if we don't know one another. We've already introduced ourselves before,
so there's no reason to do that again now. Besides…"
Sayaka slowly traced a finger down her bass's neck, then smugly snorted out a laugh.
"Music speaks louder than words. This will help us get to know one another far better
than any chitchat."
"Heh. Now we're talking. Hold on. I don't remember you being this cool," Masachika
jokingly interjected with a straight face, but Sayaka was far too full of herself to even notice.
Now that I think about it, that bass…
It looked very familiar. In fact, it really resembled a bass guitar used in a certain anime
that was popular around three years ago.
…She really is a nerd.
Masachika looked away from the girl rubbing her bass with a twinkle in her eyes and
turned his focus over to Nonoa.
"I didn't know you had your own keyboard, Nonoa," he casually mentioned while she
was setting up. This caused her to lift her head and reply:
"Hmm? I just bought it."
"What…?! Don't tell me you bought a keyboard just for this?!"
"Yeah?"
"Uh… I really appreciate it, but I feel bad. The music club could have just rented one,
you know?"
"I wanted to play on my own instrument. Besides, it's, like, not even close to how much
a piano would cost, so it's no biggie," she replied in a matter-of-fact voice, shrugging.
"Uh-huh…," said Masachika with a half-hearted nod. That was when Takeshi, with a
guitar strapped around his shoulder, approached him and whispered:
"Bro, that keyboard alone goesfor around a hundred thousand yen, and all the equipment
she has with it probably cost around a hundred and thirty thousand."
"Seriously?!"
The fact that this was "no biggie" to her was proof that professional models like her
valued money quite differently.
While Masachika stood quietly in shock, he suddenly heard Alisa begin to hum and
sing to herself, so he decided to listen under the impression that she was getting warmed
up. Then…
"<Pay attention to me. ♪ Pay attention to me. ♪ Look at meee. ♪>"
"…?! Bff?!"
"H-hey, uh… What's wrong?"
"Nothing…"
He tried to pretend like nothing was wrong, despite being in shock for the second time
in as many minutes.
I-is this what I think it is?! I haven't heard this song in forever!
Incidentally, the official title was "A Feeling Gone Unheard" (words and music by: Alisa
Kujou). At any rate, Masachika shot her a piercing gaze as if to say, "What is going on in
that head of yours?" while she sang to herself in blissful ignorance. But after a brief sigh, he
decided to walk over and talk to her.
"How are you feeling? Unheard?"
"Hmph. As opposed to you, who won't stop chitchatting?"
"Sounds like you're going to be fine."
After shooting Masachika a somewhat chilling glare, Alisa shifted her eyes down to the
phone in her hand.
"I made sure to practice the music they sent me until I could sing without looking at the
lyrics…but this is still our first time, so there's no telling how it's going to go."
"Yeah, makes sense."
"Hmph… You're the manager, right? How about some advice?"
"What? No way. I can't give any advice. I've never even been in a band before."
"Well, you're no help," she snapped, frowning as Masachika shrugged.
"The only bit of advice I can give you is to not hold back. You need to speak your mind.
Also, don't worry about trying to adapt to how everyone else is doing, and just sing your
heart out."
"What kind of advice is that? That's it?"
"It may sound easy, but I doubt many people can actually pull it off, to tell you the truth."
"All right, guys! Is everyone ready?" Takeshi shouted suddenly.
"Go show them what you're made of," encouraged Masachika, gesturing toward the
microphone.
"Okay."
Once everyone was in position, Alisa stepped in front of the microphone, thus beginning
their first jam session together.
"Whoa…!"
The performance was slightly awkward at first, but everything changed once Alisa
started to sing. Although her beautiful voice was relaxed and transparent, it was still steady
and powerful. It was as if it were slowly drawing the other four performers closer until they
were truly one. By the time the chorus was about to start, everyone was fired up, and once
the chorus began, the room was bursting with excitement. That enthusiasm lasted until the
very last chord on guitar finished ringing out.
"Nice!!"
After a moment of silence, Masachika erupted with applause from the bottom of his
heart. While there were still a few parts that didn't sound quite perfect, the band proved that
they were more than capable of putting on an incredible performance together, and it wasn't
only Masachika who felt this way, either.
"That was unbelievable! Alisa, you're an incredible singer! And Sayaka and Nonoa?!
You were amazing, too!" squealed Takeshi in excitement.
"Right? I honestly wasn't expecting to have this much fun during our first jam session
together."
Unlike the two boys in the group, however, the female band members maintained their
composure.
"Hmm… That was a whole other vibe from playing alone, huh?"
"I was really rushing to catch up in the beginning, but I managed to pull it off thanks
to Alisa."
"…I suppose that wasn't bad for our first try."
Takeshi and Hikaru smirked somewhat wryly at how calm they were, but Masachika
knew Alisa was only trying to act cool to hide her embarrassment.
"At any rate, how about we practice that a few more times? After that, we can go through
the whole setlist," suggested Sayaka.
"O-oh, right. Good idea."
They practiced for forty minutes straight after that.
"Something sounds a little off during the third measure of the chorus, so let's practice
that a few more times."
"Good thinking."
"Okay."
"Word."
"Sure."
Before anybody even realized it, Sayaka had naturally taken command of their jam
session.
That's Sayaka for you. She's very observant and always watches others carefully.
Sayaka was a born leader as far as Masachika was concerned, and he felt there weren't
that many people who had the talent to direct groups like she could. She was the complete
opposite of Alisa, who always felt like she could do everything better alone. Nevertheless,
Sayaka was convinced that everything ran better and more efficiently when it revolved
around her giving the orders, and she had actual results to back that up. These results became
achievements, and before long, everyone around her started to feel as if everything would go
smoothly if they did just as Sayaka ordered, and those who disturbed the group's harmony
were shunned.
Sayaka didn't try to appeal to someone's emotions or rely on her charisma but instead
yielded results and gave practical benefits, which impressed those around her. Being able to
rule over others was her natural-born talent.
Sigh… On one hand, she's a good ally to have, but on the other hand, she could be
trouble for us. Are you picking up on this, Alya? Even if you do become the student council
president, Sayaka might steal your role right from under your nose.
This was also what Masachika meant when he told Alisa earlier not to hold back and to
speak up. She didn't seem to get the hint, though.
But, well, I guess I shouldn't be too hard on her, since I can't expect her to figure all
this out on her first time. There's still plenty of time for her to make that realization.
The five band members practiced enthusiastically for a while after that. Masachika
pondered alone.
"All right, then. We're almost out of time, so let's clean up and start the meeting, shall
we?" suggested Masachika as he clapped his hands, since they had the music room reserved
for only fifteen more minutes. "I thought we were just getting together to say hello today,
but you guys went straight into practicing. Anyway, these are going to be your bandmates
for the school festival. Is everyone cool with that?"
"No problem here! I couldn't have asked for better bandmates!"
"Same here. I am looking forward to working with you three."
"Let's put on a good show."
"Word."
"I have no issues with that."
This was the exact moment that these five members officially became a band. After they
came up with a date for their next practice session once the semester started, they agreed that
each member was to try to think of a band name in the meantime.
Once the meeting was over, they all started packing to head home when…
"Oh! Alya, hold up. We still need to talk about the opening ceremony, since we only
have two more days to prepare," suggested Masachika. He scratched his head with his left
hand before glancing at the other four.
"Ohhh. All right. I'll just be on my way, then. Later."
"See you two later."
"See you all next semester."
"Later."
"Yeah, see you guys."
"Bye."
Once the other four bandmates were out the door, Alisa immediately sent a quizzical
stare in Masachika's direction.
"So? What about the opening ceremony did you want to talk about? I thought we were
going to prepare for it tomorrow during student council."
"Of course, I was just using that as an excuse to get to talk to you. Didn't you notice
me give you the sign?"
"Huh?"
"You know, touching my hair with my left hand."
"Oh…"
That was when Alisa seemed to remember that they were supposed to touch their hair
with their left hand whenever they were bluffing. Her shoulders slumped, and she swiftly
averted her gaze.
"…Sorry. I completely forgot about that."
"Well, it's not a big deal. Anyway, want to head over to the courtyard for now?"
They decided to change locations to avoid being rushed out by the next group who had
reserved the music room. Normally, the hallway neighboring the courtyard would be packed
with students, but it was entirely empty that day because it was still summer break. After
taking a seat next to Alisa on a bench under a tree, Masachika immediately asked:
"So… How did you feel about your jam session?"
"It was honestly a lot more fun than I expected it to be. I had no idea making music with
others could be so enjoyable," she replied without even a second of hesitation.
"Really? I'm glad you had fun," replied Masachika earnestly after hearing her genuine
impression. If Alisa had found working with others fun, then that was already a step in the
right direction.
"<It would have been more fun if you played with us, too, though.>"
There she goes, exposing herself in Russian like a verbal exhibitionist.
Just when he'd been getting a little sentimental, Alisa had verbally stabbed him in the
heart with her sweet Russian whispers, nearly killing him on the spot. But even then, he had
no choice but to clear his throat and get down to the heart of the matter.
"Anyway, you need to come up with a band name before the next practice session, right?"
"…? Right."
"Usually, the leader of the band gets to decide the name."
"Huh?" grunted Alisa as if she were taken by surprise.
"…That would be Takeshi, right?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"He originally was the leader, but I'm guessing that's going to change, now that over
half the band members are new."
Masachika assumed a sterner attitude than usual as he turned to face Alisa.
"And if that happens, who do you think the new leader is going to be?"
Her eyes briefly widened before she hesitantly replied:
"Sayaka, most likely…"
"Exactly. Sayaka unquestionably acted like a leader today during practice." Masachika
wasn't going to sugarcoat it for her, which seemed to help him finally get his point across.
Alisa bit her lip nervously. However, Masachika didn't stop there. "Put simply, you just
acknowledged that you didn't show them you had what it takes to be a leader. You lost to
Sayaka. I'm sure Takeshi and Hikaru feel the same way, so if things don't change, she's
going to end up the band leader."
"…Yeah," she agreed, although reluctantly, as if she couldn't even argue with him.
"But don't worry about it!" he said in a carefree tone, shrugging.
"…?"
"I know I made a big deal out of it, but you guys actually won't be deciding on a new
leader during your next practice session."
"What do you mean?"
As she quizzically stared at him, Masachika nonchalantly replied:
"I already asked the other four if they could wait until the day of the performance before
deciding on a band leader. More specifically, I asked them to wait until your final rehearsal."
"What?"
Alisa's brow furrowed in confusion, as if she had no idea what was going on, and
Masachika put on a serious expression, gazed right into her eyes, and revealed:
"Alya, you have to prove to those four that you're fit to be the leader. You have one
month, and if you can't do that, then there's no way you're going to be able to become the
student council president."
"…!"
"Not many people at thisschool can claim to have top-level leadership skillslike Sayaka.
Learn what you can from her until you surpass her in your own way."
After lowering her gaze for a few seconds, Alisa looked up at the sky in silence for a
while until…
"I'll do it," she said with determination in her voice.
"…Great." Masachika felt a sense of satisfaction and adoration while he gazed at her
determined profile. He then shifted his eyes toward the sky as well and vowed in his usual
tone, "As always, I'll be there by your side, supporting you every step of the way."
"I'm counting on you."
Their hands naturally drew closer until they gently became one, as if they were
conveying their trust in each other through their warmth. Their oath sworn to the summer
sky was planted inside their hearts…and bloomed in the new semester.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票